Braille Book Review

May-June 2002

In Brief

NFB-NEWSLINE available to NLS patrons

As a result of a federal grant, NFB-NEWSLINE
became available nationwide on March 1, 2002,
offering telephone access to audio versions of
newspapers and other timely information. NFB
created the service to allow people who are
unable to read conventional print to have access
to newspapers and other time-sensitive materials
as promptly as their sighted colleagues,
friends, and family members. A centralized
system using modern telecommunications
technology, high-speed computers, and synthetic
speech rapidly distributes the newspaper
contents and other data in a format usable by
blind individuals. NLS patrons who would like
to initiate service may notify their cooperating
library of their interest. The library will
insure that the patron's name and address are
forwarded to NFB, which will in turn contact the
patron with an identification number, security
code, and telephone access information.

NFB-NEWSLINE is available twenty-four hours a
day, seven days a week. Daily papers provided
include USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, the New
York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles
Times, and the Wall Street Journal, among many
others. NFB-NEWSLINE's goal is to provide at
least two papers from each state. Other menu
selections will include announcements and
library newsletters.

Registered readers access NFB-NEWSLINE
through a toll-free number from anywhere in the
continental United States and Puerto Rico, using
a touch-tone phone. After entering their ID
number and security code on the keypad, readers
are guided through easy-to-use menu options and
navigation instructions.

For more information, visit the NFB web site
at www.nfb.org or call (410) 659-9314.

Updated financial aid guide available

The U.S. Department of Education now has
available an updated audio recording on compact
disc of the Student Aid Audio Guide 2002-2003,
giving information on federal student aid for
visually impaired students. Through a simulated
conversation between a counselor and a student,
the audio guide provides information on
postsecondary student financial assistance.
Students who would like to request a copy of the
guide at no cost should contact the Federal
Student Aid Information Center toll-free at
1-800-433-3243.

Friends of Libraries teams with NLS to support Mystic Seaport access

Friends of Libraries for Blind and Physically
Handicapped Individuals in North America, Inc.,
has joined with National Library Service for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped in support of
expanded outreach and accessibility initiatives
for visitors who are blind, visually impaired,
or disabled to Mystic Seaport, the distinguished
living maritime museum in southeastern
Connecticut.

Mystic Seaport is more than just a
one-building museum. It is a superb collection of
historic ships, period homes and businesses, a
children's museum, a planetarium, and galleries
set on a spectacular seventeen-acre waterfront
site.

The Seaport is organized into three main
areas of activity:

Real craftsmen practice traditional skills
as they maintain the museum's fleet of historic
ships and boats in the Seaport's unique
preservation shipyard;

Living interpreters introduce visitors to
the everyday life of a nineteenth-century
coastal New England community of trade shops,
homes, and ships;

The historic ships and buildings, gravel
roads, and stone sidewalks that create Mystic
Seaport's nineteenth-century atmosphere
sometimes present barriers for visitors with
disabilities. The experienced staff are working
hard to provide easy access wherever possible
and tailor their presentations and
demonstrations to the special needs of all
visitors.

The Seaport publishes a brochure, "Guide to
Access," that provides detailed information on
the accessibility factors for each of the
museum's forty-nine buildings, standing
exhibits, ships, and other attractions. The
brochure includes information on the type of
entrance and the level of accessibility--graded
as accessible to all visitors, of limited
access, or of difficult access.

The Education Department of Mystic Seaport
Museum offers a range of programs for groups.
The programs can be designed to meet a variety
of needs.

Highlight tours. These are ninety-minute
guided tours that can be general in nature with
visits to featured exhibits, or with a specific
focus selected, such as whaling, fishing, and
nineteenth-century coastal community life.

Outreach programs. Arrangements can be made
for museum teachers, chanty singers, and
costumed role players to present one-hour
programs that may include singing, storytelling,
and objects from the past.

Please write or call Mystic Seaport Museum
for more information and reservations for these
and other programs.

Visit Mystic Seaport's informative and
entertaining web site for more information,
including accessibility details, membership
information, directions, lodging, and more, at
www.mysticseaport.org.

Free Seaport library pass. The National
Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped is a member of Mystic Seaport's
association of public libraries, and as such is
able to offer patrons use of a free one-day
library pass. The pass entitles two adults and
their children or grandchildren under 18 to free
admission to Mystic Seaport on the day of the
week specified on the pass. The pass will be
sent to you by express delivery. After your
visit, you will be asked to return the pass
using a prepaid envelope. The pass is available
throughout the year except for the months of
July and August. Late spring and early fall are
ideal times for a visit to Mystic.

NLS patrons in Connecticut should contact the
Library for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped, Rocky Hill, Connecticut; patrons in
Rhode Island should contact Talking Books Plus,
in Providence, Rhode Island; and patrons in
Massachusetts should contact the Braille and
Talking Book Library in Watertown,
Massachusetts, to arrange for their pass.
Residents of all other states should contact NLS
directly. Write:

or e-mail eore@loc.gov. Include your name,
address, telephone number, and the date and day
of the week you wish to visit the Seaport.

Newsstand

The following announcement may be of interest to readers.
The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped reserves the right to publish announcements
selectively, as space permits. Items mentioned, however,
are not part of the NLS program, and their listing does not
imply endorsement.

New titles from National Braille Press

Glenna Lang's Looking Out for Sarah is the March
selection for NBP's Children's Braille Book
Club. Told from a guide dog's perspective, this
is the story of the friendship, loyalty, and
trust between guide dog Perry and his human
companion, Sarah. For ages 4-8. This print-
braille edition is $15.95.

Primary Phonics: Set 1, by Barbara W. Makar,
illustrated by Anslie G. Philpot, is a series of
ten short stories that introduces consonants,
various sight words, and short vowels as part of
the reading experience. While they learn,
children can enjoy the satisfaction that comes
from reading a short story independently.
Published by Educators Publishing Service, these
books have provided the first reading experience
for millions of students. The text on each page
is reproduced in three media: large print, grade
1 braille, and grade 2 braille. For students
with low vision, there are also illustrations.
Each of the ten books is approximately sixteen
pages long, with one to four short sentences on
every page. Each storybook contains a list of
phonetic elements on the inside back cover,
providing a quick reference for the consonant
sounds, consonant blends, vowel sounds, and new
patterns covered in each book. For ages 4-7.
Ten storybooks, produced in large print, grade
1, and grade 2 braille, all in a carrying case,
cost $20.

These books can be ordered from National
Braille Press by calling 800-548-7323 toll-free
or (617) 266-6160 ext. 20 outside the U.S. and
Canada. Or e-mail orders to orders@nbp.org.
To learn more about these and other books, visit
the National Braille Press web site at
www.nbp.org.